Lake Bachar delivers in his Texas League debut. (Photo: Rey Holguin)
San Antonio — Lake Bachar arrived in San Antonio Friday afternoon, just in time to join the pitchers’ stretching program. He announced his arrival to the Texas League Saturday night, pitching five innings of one-hit baseball.
While Bachar didn’t get the win, he was the storyline as the Missions claimed a 2-1 victory over Frisco to extend their winning streak to 11 and send the Riders to a dismal 7-28 record.
The 22-year-old righty, who posted a 1.91 ERA in 28.1 innings with Lake Elsinore before his promotion, worked Frisco over with his darting fastball the first time through the lineup, then turned to his slider more regularly the second time through.
“It just kind of worked out that way,” said Bachar after the game. “The gameplan was just to get ahead and get them out as quick as I can.”
Bachar succeeded in that goal. Working on a 75 pitch limit after throwing an inning for the Storm on Wednesday night, he needed just 64 to get through his night. After an eight-pitch at-bat to open the game ended with a strikeout, seven different Frisco hitters went down on three or fewer pitches.
“It has been a little crazy. Getting the shuttle – I got up at 3:00 a.m. and had the traveling day out here. I wouldn’t say overwhelmed, but it was a new scene.”
Trevor Megill, who also just joined the club from Lake Elsinore, replaced Bachar in the sixth.
The tall righty faltered out of the gate, giving up a pair of singles and a walk with a fastball that was 91-93. But then he settled in, dialed his fastball up to 95 and got a strikeout, sacrifice fly, and a fly out to limit the damage. He came back out for the seventh and made quick work of a Frisco offense that has an OPS 60 points lower than the second-worst team in the league. In addition to the fastball, which stayed at 93-94 in the second inning, the 24-year-old Southern California native showed a low-80s slider.
“I’ve always baptized guys by fire in Double-A,” said manager Phillip Wellman. “I want them to get to town and realize, hey you’re important and an integral part of this bullpen. I thought he was a little nervous in the beginning, a little tentative, but all of the sudden, something clicked.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the game with a line drive single to right on a 90 MPH fastball, then came around on a booming one-out double by Ty France. The top prospect read the ball perfectly off the bat and had already rounded third before Frisco left fielder Hunter Cole retrieved the ball.
The Missions offense went quiet after that, collecting only six more singles the rest of the night. The club scored the go-ahead run in the seventh when Michael Gettys worked a leadoff walk. He was able to advance to third on a wild pickoff attempt and then scored on a chopper to second by Rod Boykin, who battled after chasing breaking balls frequently in the series.
NOTES: Still sore from fouling a ball off his right foot Thursday night and sporting a big abrasion on his shin from a slide earlier that night, Josh Naylor got the night off Saturday. … After his leadoff single, Tatis flew out and then struck out two more times on the night, once on a fastball he swung through and once looking. Boykin stole his fifth base of the year Saturday. He hasn’t been thrown out yet. After throwing in back-to-back games, Jose Castillo wasn’t available Saturday night. Brad Wieck picked up his second save of the season, striking out two more hitters. … Auston Bousfield was sent up to El Paso and Taylor Kohlwey joined the Missions from Lake Elsinore.
